Hair turning grey is the part of the natural aging process which we all undergo in our life. We must have seen our parents and our grandparents having naturally colored hair during their life, but with aging, their hair turns grey. The hair on our head comprises two parts root and shaft. The source of the hair is the bottom part where the hair gets attached to the scalp while the shaft is the part of colored hair that grows on our head. The root is surrounded by the tissue underneath the scalp, which is termed as a follicle. The follicle comprises pigmented cells, which continually lead to the production of melanin within the hair shaft giving it a black, blonde, dark brown, or brown color.
Melanin is the same pigment that is present in our skin, offering its color, and this same pigment is present in our hair, which leads to colored hair. The lighter or darker shade of the hair helps in the identification of the type of hair color a person will have. In our aging process, the pigmented cells present in our scalp start dying, and there are only a few melanin cells present in the follicles due to which the hair strand does not have any pigment melanin leading to transparent color like white, silver or gray. When people continue to grow older, there are only fewer cells within the scalp, which makes your hair turn gray. However, grey hair can occur in people at any time of their life, whether they are young or old. Some people have gray hair during their teenage phase or when they are growing into adults, while others may have their first silver hair during the late ’30s or late ’40s.
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Getting our genes can only determine grey hair. We start having grey hair at the same time as our parents and grandparents. People who have darker hair tend to have more noticeable grey hair, which stands out amongst others, while people who have lighter hair tend to mask the grey hair naturally. When you start having gray hair, it is most likely that you will have all gray hair after 10-20 years.
Other than the melanin pigment, vitamin deficiencies can also turn our hair to grey such as vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin E, biotin, Vitamin D, and others leading to early aging. Certain studies conclude that vitamin deficiencies can turn our hair grey, which suggests that vitamin supplementation can bring back the pigmentation of our hair.
Oxidative stress other than the genes can also make our hair turn grey. Oxidative stress leads to the imbalance of antioxidants, which are unable to counteract with the free radicals and their damaging effect. Free radicals are molecules that damage the melanin cells and contribute to the premature aging process. Oxidative stress can also result in diseases like skin condition i.e., vitiligo, which can even turn your hair grey. There are certain medical conditions like autoimmune disease, which can increase your chance to suffer from early graying of hair, hair abnormalities along with thyroid dysfunction. Grey hair is commonly seen with an autoimmune condition alopecia areata where a person starts losing hair, and when they grow back, they are mostly white.
There are certain myths where people assume that stressful situations, sinus problems can lead to gray hair, but it is not true at all as it all depends on the presence of melanin pigment within the hair follicles. Try consuming vitamin supplements and start with healthy foods that are rich in antioxidants so that you are less likely to suffer from grey hair at an early age.
Until Next Time,
Team Doctor ASKY!